The sixers and building a winner
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It's a rumor. It's pretty vague and hearsay Hinkie, of course, hasn't commented.
A lot of people who like Hinkie want to believe it. But it's not clear it's true. I like to think it might be true but know that you can't actually have any confidence in it.
It is true ownership loved Okafor coming off a title for the optics. The pressure was already there and taking a project (consensus view) vs Okafor I could see why it would have been hard. It is true that Hinkie scouted porzingis in person and so on, but still. It's wishful thinking for now
A lot of people who like Hinkie want to believe it. But it's not clear it's true. I like to think it might be true but know that you can't actually have any confidence in it.
It is true ownership loved Okafor coming off a title for the optics. The pressure was already there and taking a project (consensus view) vs Okafor I could see why it would have been hard. It is true that Hinkie scouted porzingis in person and so on, but still. It's wishful thinking for now
I can confirm that Okafor was always their guy leading up to the draft (I have some connections here). Easy to criticize now but at the time, he was a successful college big coming off an NCAA title that was going to a team with zero low post scoring. And nobody knew what Embiid would ever be at the time of the 2015 draft.
For how much? Kyler twittered that it would take a max contract for Noel to sign prior to the end of the season. Without having any knowledge of PHI's salary cap situation, I've read that they could offer Noel $20M a year and not have any salary cap ramifications until year 4.
Question is whether Noel would take that money to be Embiid's understudy? At this point, I think he's going to want to find out what other teams are willing to pay him.
Philly should pay him whatever it takes to get him to sign, even if it's the max. They have tons of cap spaces and are unlikely to attract a decent FA with that space. This is a team that needs to lock in its talent to start building some consistency. Embiid, Simmons, Noel, and 2 lotto picks is a hell of a core.
It was easy to criticize at the time as well, and was criticized by many in the stats/APBRmetrics community. That's why I'm curious about this "Hinkie didn't want Okafor" idea - it would make a lot of sense given the views around Okafor at the time. I just hadn't heard it before.
Kind of off topic, but it's not just analytical people who don't like Okafor. The fact that he doesn't like to play defense and is too slow to defend the pick and roll even when he wants to is a problem for traditional scouts too.
I have no problem with the idea that drafting Okafor was an ownership move. Whether Hinkie would have drafted Porzingis is another question, though. He might easily have picked Justise Winslow or Mario Hezonja instead.
I have no problem with the idea that drafting Okafor was an ownership move. Whether Hinkie would have drafted Porzingis is another question, though. He might easily have picked Justise Winslow or Mario Hezonja instead.
It's worth noting that Porzingis refused to workout in Philly. The fear that he wouldn't come over right away is likely what forced Philly towards Okafor.
This is a good point too. I'd have taken Winslow there. Porzingis wasn't really on my radar.
I don't think for a second that would have scared Hinkie. It might have scared ownership, understandably.
I haven't seen a lot of Okafor, so I ask this out of ignorance. Could he ultimately be an Enes Kanter type? Kanter is a good, though limited, player.
Caveat emptor.....I know a limited amount regarding basketball. However, to say that Hinkie wanted Porzingis over Okafor is dreamtalk. Everyone and their uncle loved Okafor coming out of the draft. He seemed like one of the best "gets" of the Hinkie era.
With that said....Joel Embiid has drawn me back to regular season basketball, which I never thought would happen. I remain a Celtics fan, but the 76ers are a ton of fun to watch. I hope they make a playoff run, but we"ll see. Excited to see what happens when Simmons comes in and can distribute.
And let's never forget one of the greatest marriages of sports marketing and Philadelphia Soul:
With that said....Joel Embiid has drawn me back to regular season basketball, which I never thought would happen. I remain a Celtics fan, but the 76ers are a ton of fun to watch. I hope they make a playoff run, but we"ll see. Excited to see what happens when Simmons comes in and can distribute.
And let's never forget one of the greatest marriages of sports marketing and Philadelphia Soul:
Maybe. However, the LibertyBallers blogs pit together some video of his "defense" from one game earlier this year: http://www.libertyballers.com/2016/11/8/13559540/jahlil-okafor-lack-of-defensive-awareness-appalling-duke-nba-nerlens-noel-center-sixers-76ers-embiid
Admittedly, it's only one game but the stats agree with this assessment, and if he continues to play like this, he's not even going to reach Kanter's minutes.
Played well last night, showed his offensive skills and can act as a focal point. He is slowly improving on the boards too.
But his defense is just terrible, he's slow twitch so he needs to be able to read and anticipate and he just can't.
He's hurt on the Sixers by the only other rim protection being at his position and the whole team is young, and relatively athletic, and he slows down the team. I don't believe it's fitness it's motor.
But I got to think one team will believe they can get the defensive light and effort on and that if you do that he is worth taking a shot on. Odds on him becoming good defensively are probably as high as a late first being worth much.
He'd be interesting on a slower pace team for a start, Bulls? Or a team with nothing going on, and no high picks.
But his defense is just terrible, he's slow twitch so he needs to be able to read and anticipate and he just can't.
He's hurt on the Sixers by the only other rim protection being at his position and the whole team is young, and relatively athletic, and he slows down the team. I don't believe it's fitness it's motor.
But I got to think one team will believe they can get the defensive light and effort on and that if you do that he is worth taking a shot on. Odds on him becoming good defensively are probably as high as a late first being worth much.
He'd be interesting on a slower pace team for a start, Bulls? Or a team with nothing going on, and no high picks.
But the Nets can't trade the pick, having already traded away last year's #3 and 2018's blue chip.
They have to wait, of course. Which stinks because it costs Okafor valuable developmental time (in a theoretical world where both teams want to make this deal). The other way around it would be for Brooklyn to pick up a relatively unwanted first rounder - from Golden State, San Antonio, Cleveland, whoever -- because you just to have any first rounder to be in compliance.
I hate this rule. It hamstrings teams more than it helps them.
It's the Stepien rule. I don't like it, but I'm not sure getting rid of it completely would be wise. Alter a little, maybe.
On the other hand...think of how little hope Brooklyn has right now. As bad as it is, pretend somehow the Celtics expanded the deal to include 1st rounders in 2019 and 2020 for Rajon Rondo and Jared Sulinger. You'd have the worst roster in the NBA with a low first round pick this year and none the following three drafts. How do you fix that? Tell the fans to wait 4 years and then we can *start* rebuilding? And a dead franchise hurts the whole NBA, so saying "that's their problem, they shouldn't have made the deal" isn't enough. It's a problem for the whole league. In the NFL or NBA, you can still build a team without 1st round picks, It's harder, but it's possible. In the NBA you have virtually no chance other than getting massively lucky with second rounders. There is free agency, but who will go there?
So maybe it's a necessary "protect you from yourself" rule. Though I think nobody ever makes a deal like Brooklyn did again without pick protections.
So maybe it's a necessary "protect you from yourself" rule. Though I think nobody ever makes a deal like Brooklyn did again without pick protections.
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I don't see it as necessary at all. The Brooklyn deal is an absolute outlier and I'm glad we are benefitting from it but this franchise was going to be screwed either way with that management team.
And I'd argue that the Stepien rule hurt them because it forced the Nets to spread out the damage over 5 years instead of a shorter timeframe.
Finally, there are plenty of "dead" franchises in the NBA and it doesn't hurt the league at all or at least doesn't appear to have hurt them given the escalation in tv deals.
I definitely think it needs to be adjusted, at a minimum.
The Lakers pick is another story but their own pick might be in the "no more blue chippers"
part of the lottery.
Certainly a possibility given how they're playing but I think if they can come away with a draft like Monk/Tatum or something like that they'd be in good shape. Real threat is that Lakers should have a decent chance at a top 3 pick so it would be a huge disappointment if the Sixers picked like 8/9 and the Lakers kept their pick.
6.5 games out of playoff spot. It's highly unlikely but with Embiid playing, they definitely have playoff level talent.
Speaking of Embiid, these highlights are unbelievable.
The Heat may be in even a worse position than Brooklyn. They has this years 1st round pick, but they have already traded away the 2021 first round pick, and either the 2018 or 2019 1st round pick to Phoenix. Plus, they have no second-round pick until 2022.
I dunno about that. They have South Beach along with Whiteside. The Nets have Brook Lopez and swamps. They couldn't get Allen Crabbe or Tyler Johnson to come up there with enormous offer sheets.
Those two prove the opposite, though---the players were willing to sign with NJ, their teams just matched.
However, I agree with your larger point that Miami has some advantages Brooklyn does not as to FAs and also potential trade acquisitions who can veto.
What's more insane about Embiid?
That he started playing basketball in 2011?
Or that he's arguably the best defensive big man in the East as a rookie? Which is nuts?
I don't know.
What I do know is that there are a lot of good fits for the sixers in this draft.
Eg Ball I dislike, but he's perfect for the Simmons sixers. Secondary creator, shooter etc. You can go shooter and defense at point and not need primary creator, and that means a lot less risk on a bunch of guys. They can also use a do everything wing like Jackson or Tatum.
That he started playing basketball in 2011?
Or that he's arguably the best defensive big man in the East as a rookie? Which is nuts?
I don't know.
What I do know is that there are a lot of good fits for the sixers in this draft.
Eg Ball I dislike, but he's perfect for the Simmons sixers. Secondary creator, shooter etc. You can go shooter and defense at point and not need primary creator, and that means a lot less risk on a bunch of guys. They can also use a do everything wing like Jackson or Tatum.
As a Celtics fan I am still super upset the Celts didn't get a chance to draft Embiid. He only needed to fall 3 more spots or the Celts could have traded up. He is the exact type of player the Celts need now.
It was a great draft pick by Hinkie. I know the Sixers lost out on the chance to draft Wiggins, but their actual pick turned out pretty well.
It is amazing the impact he had given that he is a rookie and missed so much time. During his pod with JVG, Lowe mentioned that the Sixers actually have a positive +/- rating when Embiid is on the floor and are negative a million when is he off.
Sixers have 2nd best defensive rating (Clippers are first) in the month of January.
Yea, they are like +12 with him, and -200 without. Van Gundy was so shocked that he immediately changed his mind about not having players on sub-500 teams in the all-star game
So yeah my pants are off!
Embiid should seriously be in the conversation for DPOY
Sounds like Simmons won't be back until after the all star break
Embiid should seriously be in the conversation for DPOY
Sounds like Simmons won't be back until after the all star break
Can you please share your secrets to beating Toronto? Philly could make the playoffs as soon as next year. This team is going places as long as Embiid stays healthy.
It's a lot easier to beat TOR when the best player on the court is playing against TOR.
Do you (or anyone else) have a sense of what the risk of re-injury is? That's really the only thing in his way to becoming the second best big man in the league for a long time.
Kanter is one of the very best rebounders in the league. Okafor is a bad one.
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